People nowadays are becoming more conscious of the threat of identity theft and taking more steps to prevent it. Most individuals know better than to casually throw away credit card offers and bank statements, and they often invest in personal shredders designed for home use to get rid of such documents. Companies have an even greater need to protect confidential documents and frequently turn to Business Shredding Services that can deal with a much higher volume of paper than what most individuals need to shred.
A business has even more to consider than identity theft. In many places, courts have ruled that material in the trash is no longer private. That means that anyone has the right to go through trash looking for trade secrets or confidential client information. When sensitive client information is compromised, a business will quickly lose its good reputation. For this reason, shredding is very important to a business’s interests.
It’s also important for a business to use the right kind of shredder. For a high volume of papers, a company will need to purchase heavy duty equipment or rely on a shredding service. A shredding service will be likely to offer the most effective type of shredder as well. While some just cut paper into thin horizontal strips that could potentially be put back together, a better shredder cross cuts the paper into tiny pieces. Furthermore, a shredding service will probably be able to destroy other confidential materials, like data on a hard drive.
Many shredding services are mobile, and this offers a great benefit to businesses who can double check that all material is securely disposed of. Once documents leave the property, the business can no longer guarantee that they will be destroyed. On-site shredding eliminates any possible suspicion that sensitive documents are stolen or even sold once they leave the premises.
A final benefit of regular shredding is that it frees up storage space and eliminates a fire hazard. In addition, a shredding service keeps a record of all the documents they shred, which can become invaluable information later on.
